I had every intention of getting back to posting regularly, but the month kind of got away from me, and . . . well, you know. It’s the holidays. Time always slips through the cracks.

So anyway. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving (those of you in the US, anyway). Here’s what I’ve been up to:

ULT V1 is in the process of being proofread by Crystal Lake’s team. Typing this reminded me that I still need to write a new afterword. Shit.

Amelia completed her edits of the novella. She loved it. Said it’s remarkable. That’s pretty much what everyone else has said, too. So . . .

I turned in the novella to Crystal Lake ahead of deadline. It will be included in V2, but it’s being considered for standalone eBook release as well. We may do something with it through Precipice, too.

V2 is mostly done. I still want to get one more story finished before I turn it in at the end of January, but if I can’t, the collection will sit somewhere around 60k words. Plus an intro. Plus story notes.

Speaking of Crystal Lake, the Writers On Writing omnibus is now available on Kindle and will be available in print this Friday. It contains my essay, “Never Look Away.” This was my first non-fiction sale and I’m pretty proud of it.

I have several writing commitments lined up for 2017 aside from the two ULT volumes. Four anthologies and Monochrome #3. Always Monochrome #3. (Sigh.)

On the Precipice front, I’ve got some things planned for 2017 and 2018 as well. I can’t say much more than that, but I’m excited about them.

I just wrapped up the audio book of Mark Frost’s THE SECRET HISTORY OF TWIN PEAKS in anticipation of the new season next year. If you’re a fan of the show, you must check out this book–and I highly recommend the audio version, if for no other reason than some of the original cast reprise their roles. The book itself is an intriguing look into the town’s history, which also ties up a lot of backstory and loose ends left open by the show’s second season cliffhanger 25 years ago. Chrysta Bell will be on the new season, and it seems kind of fitting. Her voice has that haunting quality that’s right at home in Twin Peaks. I can almost see her performing at the Roadhouse.

Moon Hill’s success has enabled me to purchase another block of ISBNs for Precipice Books.

I’m very close to signing our next author and announcing our next title. No, I don’t have a release date. No, I’m not telling you who it is. Not yet, anyway.

And what about that writing thing? Yeah, I’m getting to that . . .

WRITING NEWS!

I turned over the manuscript for ULT: Volume One to Crystal Lake for proofreading. The text remains largely unchanged, including Tony Rapino’s introduction. There will likely be a new acknowledgments, and a shortened version of the Story Notes section from the hardcover.

Since my last full blog post, I’ve completed one story at around 6k words, and written about 1.5k of another. Not as much as I’d like, but the day job’s been kicking my ass.

ULT: Volume Two currently stands at around 55k words, give or take. I’m going to try and work in one more story (maybe two if I’m lucky) before polishing it up to send in for edits in January.

No release dates for any of this stuff. Not yet. I’ll pass it along once I know.

Amelia’s currently working on the edits of the novella I completed over the summer. No word from her on that yet, but feedback from my circle of beta readers has been extremely positive. Glowing, even. So that’s something.

EVERYTHING ELSE!

I’ve been trying to catch up on my reading. I recommend the following:

THE SECRET HISTORY OF TWIN PEAKS by Mark Frost

STRANDED by Bracken MacLeod

THE FISHERMAN by John Langan (Note:I’d give this ten stars if I could. It’s probably my book of the year.)

EXPERIMENTAL FILM by Gemma Files

DETRITUS IN LOVE by John Boden and Mercedes M. Yardley

And I’m also dividing my reading time between Josh Malerman’s BIRD BOX, Laird Barron’s SWIFT TO CHASE, and . . . a book that hasn’t been published yet. But will be. Hopefully soon!

I think that’s about it for now. I may be quiet again for a while, what with the holidays and my deadline fast approaching. So I’ll drop in whenever I can.

My first Beneath the Lake broadcast kicks off today for Crystal Lake Publishing‘s Patreon subscribers! If you’d like to participate, consider pitching in $1.00. Details can be found here.

And if not, that’s cool, too. A recording of the broadcast will be made available to the public after we conclude our shenanigans. And believe me, folks, there will be shenanigans. I’ve seen what Brian Kirk is capable of.

Tonight I arrived at the end of a story I began almost two years ago. It’s called THE FINAL RECONCILIATION. It’s a King in Yellow story. The first draft is 32k words, and I’m stoked to have completed it. Now to celebrate with a drink. Cheers!

Okay, so . . . I’m going to cheat here. I already wrote a recap on Facebook earlier today, but I’m brain dead and physically/mentally/emotionally drained from the weekend, plus the 7-hour roadtrip home from Rhode Island. So here’s what I posted, along with some photos that I took. The TL;DR of NECON is this: It was awesome, and if you’re a writer, editor, or artist, you should really go at least once. I will definitely be going back.

And with that said, here’s my recap:

I’m somewhat functional after the long drive back from Rhode Island. Now that I’m home and can reflect on the experience, it all feels like a dream.

I got to meet one of my best friends for the first time in person at Necon.Amelia Bennett and I have known each other for a decade, and she’s been my editor for more than half that time. She’s awesome, and I’m blessed to know her.

So glad I got to see Nikki Nelson-Hicks again, after four long years (let’s not wait so long next time), meeting Her Dark Majesty Mercedes Murdock Yardley for the first time in person (who never failed to wake me for breakfast), and also hanging out with Kelsey Desrosiers (we will always have Tequila Jim). Brian Kirk is also a great guy (but don’t tell him I said so). Grateful to meet CA Suleiman, who also fell prey to the Staggering Squirrel. I will never forget watching talking llamas with April Hawks (Boat nectar!) or watching Nikki crush on Bracken MacLeod (who is one of the nicest guys you could ever meet). Talking music with my roomie Gardner Goldsmith, hugs with James A. Moore, a dinner discussion with Laura Anne Gilman, meeting Joe Hill in the breakfast line while in the haze of a hangover, and listening to Hal Bodner‘s stories of past Necons (and laundry woes) are things I will never forget. Thank you all for the experience.

As I told my wife on the phone Saturday night, I’ve been writing for most of my life, but Necon’s the first time I’ve actually felt like an author. I’m forever grateful and honored to be a part of the Necon family, and I can wait to see you all next year. Cheers, folks.’

Joe Mynhardt of Crystal Lake sent me a message last week. He’d just watched my impromptu broadcast about my two-book deal with his company and wanted to know if I’d be interested in hosting a broadcast/podcast (more on that in a sec) centered around Crystal Lake’s authors and news. Having dabbled in this sort of thing over the last couple of years with the Geeky Writer broadcasts, I jumped at the opportunity.

The details are these:

Official announcement:

As always, Crystal Lake is constantly expanding. In little over a month we will launch BENEATH THE LAKE, the official Crystal Lake Publishing podcast, hosted by none other than Todd Keisling.

This podcast will be live to Crystal Lake’s Patreon patrons (who can send in questions or comments on the show), and moved to YouTube a week later. More details to come.

I hope you’ll join us on this new and very exciting journey.

As stated above, if you support Crystal Lake on Patreon, you’ll be able to watch the shows live and interact with myself and the guests, asking questions and participating in whatever shenanigans we cook up. And if not, hey, no sweat–a recording of the show will be available to the public a week later. There’s also the possibility of a partnership with Project iRadio which we’re exploring. We’ve set up a Facebook page for the show, so give us a “like” if you’re so inclined.

But yeah, those are the details for now. We’re looking to host the show twice a month. And don’t worry, Geeky Writer friends, I’ll still be organizing those broadcasts as well. Along with working on the next ULT volume. And the third Monochrome novel. And holding down a day job . . .

Yeah. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

Anyway, that’s all for now. See you all at NECON!

TK

P.S. This most excellent drawing of Yours Truly was drawn by the incredibly talented Luke Spooner.

I’m calling this version of myself “Mr. Hush” due to my “quiet style.” (That’s for you, Gef.)

I’m quite busy these days, between finalizing the upcoming release of Tony Rapino’s collection GREETINGS FROM MOON HILL and working on stories for ULT Volume Two, but I wanted to drop a note here for any of you who may be in the Rhode Island area next weekend.

I’ll be attending the Northeastern Writers Conference (aka NECON) in Portsmouth next week, and just a few days ago I learned I’ll be on a panel discussing self-publishing. It’s at 9 AM next Friday, July 22nd. I’ll also be at the con all weekend, so if you’re around, feel free to stop by and say hello. (Just don’t be weird about it. That’s my job. )